4 ms·

SAGE: A Test to Detect Signs of Alzheimer's and Dementia

55 points by sytelus 9y ago

troydavis 9y ago
One of the tests: https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/files/wexnermedical/patient-care/healthcare-services/brain-spine-neuro/memory-disorders/sage/forms/sage-form-1-us.pdf?la=en https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/files/wexnermedical/pa...
forapurpose 9y ago
How accurate is this test? The .edu address lends credibility but that's all I have to go on. What do the results mean, specifically?
- sytelus 9y ago
  Researchers at Ohio State evaluated study participants using SAGE and then evaluated the same subjects with other established assessment tools. The test has a sensitivity of 79 percent and a false positive rate of 5 percent in detecting cognitive impairment from normal subjects. Results were published in the January-March 2010 issue of Alzheimer's Disease & Associated Disorders: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20220323 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20220323
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
sytelus 9y ago
From: https://www.alzheimers.net/1-28-15-SAGE-alzheimers-examination/ https://www.alzheimers.net/1-28-15-SAGE-alzheimers-examinati... The latest study concerning SAGE evaluated[1] its effectiveness as a cognitive screening assessment tool in community settings. Researchers evaluated over 1,000 participants over the age of 50 from 45 community events. The scores on the test range from 22 — indicating normal cognition — to 15 — signifying mild cognitive impairment — and a score below 14 may indicate the presence of dementia. The study found that when the test was given to its participants from over 45 different events: - The average score for SAGE was 17.8% - 71.6% of the people that took the test had normal cognition - 10.4% had mild cognitive impairment - 18% had dementia [1] https://www.alzheimers.net/1-7-15-non-invasive-method-detect-alzheimers https://www.alzheimers.net/1-7-15-non-invasive-method-detect...
ketsa 9y ago
Sadly US centered test. We dont even know whats a nickel or a quarter...
- edem 9y ago
  Why don't they learn to use standardized measurement units...
edem 9y ago
Why there isn't an on-line version?
- davidvaughan 9y ago
  Some of the questions necessarily involve a pen and paper. eg "copy this picture" and link the circled characters.
- wildpeaks 9y ago
  It has both links to the tests and instructions on how to interpret the results.
- mr_donk 9y ago
  Much of the target audience would be much more comfortable with pen and paper. Maybe in 20 years an online version will be better.
dsego 9y ago
What's the difference between this and standard MMSE?
IAmGraydon 9y ago
I've taken the SAGE test on several occasions, but I remember it having a section where you have to memorize 4 words early in the test and then recall them later. There was also a section where you had to name as many objects of a class that started with a particular letter as possible in a limited time (as many animals that start with the letter S as possible in 30 seconds). These two sections were the hardest by far, and seem to be removed from this version. Why is that? This version of SAGE is so easy, it seems that you would have to suffer from severe dementia to score anything less than perfect.
- d0mine 9y ago
  There is "I have finished/done" phrase mentioned in the middle of the test to answer later "Have you finished?"/"Are you done?" question at the end of the test (though it seems easier than memorizing 4 words compared to 3 words that form a meaningful phrase that is the answer to the immediate suggestive question). There is a question on naming 12 different things in a kitchen/countries (also easier -- no time limit, no constraint on the first letter). "The test has a sensitivity of 79 percent and a false positive rate of 5 percent in detecting cognitive impairment from normal subjects." btw, you don't need the perfect score to be considered "normal" by the test.
- mr_donk 9y ago
  I don't know about it being so easy for someone with an actual impairment... My only experience was with my mother, who recently passed away from a stroke. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in her early 60s. I have no trouble believing this easy test would be impossibly hard for someone with dementia, even in the early stages. At the beginning, my mom seemed fine to anyone she'd meet, yet would routinely not know what day of the week it was. She'd cover for it by saying things like "since I don't work, every day seems like Saturday". She probably would have failed the test right there.
londons_explore 9y ago
I'd like to see a harder version of this test (designed to detect milder impairments), and I'd like the test to be auto-generated so I can run the same test on myself for example once per month so I can draw a graph of any decline in performance. An online version could also hide information and ask you to recall it, or time how long tasks take.

55 points by sytelus 9y ago

One of the tests: https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/files/wexnermedical/patient-care/healthcare-services/brain-spine-neuro/memory-disorders/sage/forms/sage-form-1-us.pdf?la=en https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/files/wexnermedical/pa...

forapurpose 9y ago

How accurate is this test? The .edu address lends credibility but that's all I have to go on. What do the results mean, specifically?

sytelus 9y ago
Researchers at Ohio State evaluated study participants using SAGE and then evaluated the same subjects with other established assessment tools. The test has a sensitivity of 79 percent and a false positive rate of 5 percent in detecting cognitive impairment from normal subjects. Results were published in the January-March 2010 issue of Alzheimer's Disease & Associated Disorders: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20220323 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20220323

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

sytelus 9y ago

From: https://www.alzheimers.net/1-28-15-SAGE-alzheimers-examination/ https://www.alzheimers.net/1-28-15-SAGE-alzheimers-examinati... The latest study concerning SAGE evaluated[1] its effectiveness as a cognitive screening assessment tool in community settings. Researchers evaluated over 1,000 participants over the age of 50 from 45 community events. The scores on the test range from 22 — indicating normal cognition — to 15 — signifying mild cognitive impairment — and a score below 14 may indicate the presence of dementia. The study found that when the test was given to its participants from over 45 different events: - The average score for SAGE was 17.8% - 71.6% of the people that took the test had normal cognition - 10.4% had mild cognitive impairment - 18% had dementia [1] https://www.alzheimers.net/1-7-15-non-invasive-method-detect-alzheimers https://www.alzheimers.net/1-7-15-non-invasive-method-detect...

ketsa 9y ago

Sadly US centered test. We dont even know whats a nickel or a quarter...

edem 9y ago
Why don't they learn to use standardized measurement units...

edem 9y ago

Why there isn't an on-line version?

davidvaughan 9y ago
Some of the questions necessarily involve a pen and paper. eg "copy this picture" and link the circled characters.
wildpeaks 9y ago
It has both links to the tests and instructions on how to interpret the results.
mr_donk 9y ago
Much of the target audience would be much more comfortable with pen and paper. Maybe in 20 years an online version will be better.

dsego 9y ago

What's the difference between this and standard MMSE?

IAmGraydon 9y ago

I've taken the SAGE test on several occasions, but I remember it having a section where you have to memorize 4 words early in the test and then recall them later. There was also a section where you had to name as many objects of a class that started with a particular letter as possible in a limited time (as many animals that start with the letter S as possible in 30 seconds). These two sections were the hardest by far, and seem to be removed from this version. Why is that? This version of SAGE is so easy, it seems that you would have to suffer from severe dementia to score anything less than perfect.

d0mine 9y ago
There is "I have finished/done" phrase mentioned in the middle of the test to answer later "Have you finished?"/"Are you done?" question at the end of the test (though it seems easier than memorizing 4 words compared to 3 words that form a meaningful phrase that is the answer to the immediate suggestive question). There is a question on naming 12 different things in a kitchen/countries (also easier -- no time limit, no constraint on the first letter). "The test has a sensitivity of 79 percent and a false positive rate of 5 percent in detecting cognitive impairment from normal subjects." btw, you don't need the perfect score to be considered "normal" by the test.
mr_donk 9y ago
I don't know about it being so easy for someone with an actual impairment... My only experience was with my mother, who recently passed away from a stroke. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in her early 60s. I have no trouble believing this easy test would be impossibly hard for someone with dementia, even in the early stages. At the beginning, my mom seemed fine to anyone she'd meet, yet would routinely not know what day of the week it was. She'd cover for it by saying things like "since I don't work, every day seems like Saturday". She probably would have failed the test right there.

londons_explore 9y ago

I'd like to see a harder version of this test (designed to detect milder impairments), and I'd like the test to be auto-generated so I can run the same test on myself for example once per month so I can draw a graph of any decline in performance. An online version could also hide information and ask you to recall it, or time how long tasks take.